Flight 154 right on time

The 155th launch (flight V.154)

6 September 2002

Just a week after an Ariane 5 launcher placed the MSG satellite into orbit, this morning another Ariane launcher lifted off from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. This time it was an Ariane 44L, fitted with four liquid-propellant strap-on boosters.

Flight 154 successfully ended its mission 22 minutes after liftoff by placing into orbit the Intelsat 906 satellite it was carrying on board. The IX series of Intelsat satellites, which are gradually replacing the previous satellites, provide better quality telecommunications services for the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

This is the 22nd Intelsat satellite to be launched from Europe’s spaceport and the sixth in the IX series. The next launch from French Guiana is scheduled for late October early November.